Should probably explain that actually, the De Cliffords are traders who sell furs and such (and sweets...) and obviously they know a _lot_ about their subject. I think they use brains for the process you are looking for.

no answer yet to my paint question, at a guess and using what has been mentioned I would try a varnish base with the black form of iron oxide, dried out and added to the varnish for those items that cant be kept oiled, some electro plating passivates contain iron oxide I believe

The painted metal lids in the wallace and armouries seem to be oil based, any other medium woudl not make sense as adhesion would be a major issue, certainly not water based or egg.

And when oil based, invariably that would mean 'varnish', seeing the thickness and visibility of the brush strokes that makes sense.

Whether the primary purpose was to prevent corrosion or for decoration is not known, or whether one was a beneficial side-effect of the other. The black and white armours of the 'landsknechts' seem to use a thick oil-based medium, whcih again is logical.

As for the colours, black is and was easy to make, essentially soot from burning oil, mixes well with varnish, does slow down drying a bit though, but often heavy metal salts were added to varnish to aid drying.

I can say from experience that the varnish media work well with the earths and lampblack, if made properly it should leave a glossy sheen, this is caused by the colophony (pine resin) whcih makes it a varnish rather than just an oil base - very different from modern oil paints.

There is an instruction (late medieval) somewhere for heating armour and then painting it with the varnish (uncoloured) which 'bubbles' and then eventually sets.

gregory23b wrote:Colin, re the oil and ash, usually oil and ash result in a detergent effect - the basis for soap - hence its cleaning abilities, but I guess if a residue is left that is down to more oil than (ash) can be converted to detergent. But glad you mentioned it though as lye is authentic and cheap A and C as it were.

Use hardwood ash, sift the white ashes from any charcoal once cool of course, place the ashes in a tight woven cloth bag, leave the bag in some water - the strength of lye is dependent on the ratio of water to ash and the 'quality' of the ash, less water to ash and it is usuallty stronger.

Its natural degreasing properties make it great for cleaning cooking utensils, chopping boards etc.

It is also used as a bleaching agent.

Ash with a splash of water is great for cleaning out pots in full view of the public, again it degreases, any charcola in the ash is abrasive. Rinse and heat dry over low fire, add some oil to a cloth and give the pot the thinnest of layers of oil and heat until it smokes - this converts the oil to a carbon layer, seals the pots and wont go rancid.

Be aware that lye made this way can be unexpectedly caustic, handle with care. The traditional test for soap-making lye was to dip a feather in it - if it was strong enough it would dissolve the feather!